MOLECULAR MODELS AT THE MOVIES

Models at the Movies

Indigo?Instruments isn’t only about supplying scientific kit to schools technicians, homeschoolers and students doing their science fair project. No! A fair few molecular models and countless other items have made their way to Hollywood, got themselves on the small screen and featured in some offbeat web experiments.

VP Stephan Logan explains how Rob Cohen’s 2005 movie “Stealth” is described on the Internet Movie Database as “Surprisingly enjoyable”. Why? Because a plot line based on three pilots deeply ensconced in a top-secret military program struggling to bring an artificial intelligence program under control before it initiates WWIII sounds just so unsurprising. The movie features intense action, violence and innuendo. But, far more excitingly it also features a 17-layer DNA model from Indigo. So, for what was it those pilots needed a model of DNA? You’ll have to watch the movie to find out.

One of Indigo’s “anatomically correct” 12-layer DNA models also features in the current hit movie “Fantastic Four.” In this marvelous piece of cinema, a group of astronauts gain superpowers after being exposed to cosmic radiation (yeah, right!) and are destined to use them in fighting the world-dominating plans of the evil Doctor Victor Von Doom. They couldn’t have thought of a more corny name for the villain, but at least the DNA molecular model used in the movie is scientifically accurate, having been built to the highest specifications by Indigo’s Logan himself.

Once again, superheroes are the subject of another movie to feature molecular model kits supplied to Hollywood by Indigo Instruments. In “Return of Zoom”, a movie based on the graphic novel “Zoom’s Academy for the Super Gifted” by Jason Lethcoe, an unpopular high school girl sent to superhero school by her “mysterious” father and discovers her hidden talents (a la Harry Potter, methinks). The makers of this movie, also utilized a DNA model from Indigo to reveal the inner workings of human genetics at the molecular level. Unfortunately, for Indigo’s image, the director asked for the model to be specially made so that it would fall apart easily. Don’t ask why, you’ll have to go see the movie. Needless to say, any models you buy from Indigo Instruments will be made to far more exacting standards and are guaranteed not to fall apart!

Stepping back from the superheroes, Indigo?Instruments was proud also to provide a whole series of chemical models for the making of Eddie Murphy blockbuster, “The Nutty Professor”. Mineral models including a huge zeolite model and a model of the structure of diamond were used to great effect in the movie as Professor Sherman Klump, desperately trying to lose weight, takes a chemical cocktail that morphs him into the slimly obnoxious Buddy Love. The mineral models feature prominently as classic examples of Klump’s laboratory equipment.

Molecular models from Indigo Instruments have not only caught Hollywood’s eye, but arthouse directors have turned to Indigo Instruments to supply them with molecular models too. So, Indigo can now lay claim to having appeared at the Toronto Film Festival.

DNA and other molecular models from Indigo, have also hit the small screen in TV crime show “Law & Order”, in sci-fi classic “Stargate Atlantis”, and on CBS News during the celebrations of the 50th anniversary of the discovery of the structure of DNA.

It’s not just the entertainment industry that is fascinated by Indigo’s DNA models. “We’ve also sold a 17-layer DNA model to such organizations as Bell Labs, IBM, and even shipped one to Erasmus University Hospital in Rotterdam, The Netherlands, where the SARS virus was first identified,” says Indigo SD Stephan Logan. In addition NASA lesson plans such as their magnets and life lesson cites Indigo Instruments as a useful source of powerful rare earth magnets. Images from Indigo?Instruments have been used on countless lecture tours and in science demonstrations including those by staff at Wisha University. A chemical flask from Indigo has even been adapted to make a heliograph, or sun tracker.

“We have sold DNA models to lawyers for court cases involving patent issues,” adds Logan, “major museums and institutions, such as the Bill Clinton Museum, Howard Hughes Medical Center, Walter Reed Army Hospital, US Naval Academy, Harvard University, New York University and elsewhere, also have our DNA models and others on display.” Intriguingly, even the infamous Martha Stewart has bought glassware from Indigo, in the form of test tubes and Erlenmeyer flasks for use in floral arrangements.

by Sciencebase

HOW FAST IS YOUR SERVICE

So you think that you have pretty fast Internet service. Are you truly happy with it? How fast is it? These are all questions that Internet users are frequently asking themselves more often for a number of reasons now. To begin with, there are now things that you can do to increase your Internet speed if you want to. Also, after these measures are taken you will need to know the effect that they have had.

The Old Method

The very first step in improving your Internet speed is to determine what it is now. In the past, this was done by downloading a file of a set size and timing it as it was done. There was one problem with this method however and that was that it was difficult to time the rate at which data was uploaded as well, which is included in your total Internet speed calculation.

The New Method

This has led to a new service being offered on the Internet, that times your Internet speed for you. It is done by sending you a data file that is then downloaded into your computer. Then this same file is subsequently uploaded and sent back to the service and the whole process is timed. In this way your actual Internet speed is calculated far more accurately.

Dila Up Service Can Be Speeded Up

After you have accurately calculated your Internet speed, these same services can then assist you in determining what would be the best methods for you to increase your Internet speed. What you need and what can be actually implemented is determined by a number of factors including what type of Internet service that you use. With new speed enhancement technologies that have been developed in recent years, even if you have standard dial up service, you can boost your Internet speed significantly.

by Jamie Charlesten

INTERNET SPEED TEST-HOW FAST IS IT

Make no mistake about it, speed is everything in this day and age. This fixation with speed has now transferred over to the Internet as well and it seems that nothing on the net now is ever fast enough. So how fast is your Internet service anyway? Is is up to your standards? These are a few of the questions that more and more web users are asking themselves and an Internet speed test is a great way to find out.

Download and Upload Data Transfer Rate

There are two components that actually determine your Internet speed and they are your upload and your download rate of data transfer. Both of these functions are measured in kilobits per second, but it is the download function that tends to be the most important, simply due to the fact that it is the function that is most often used by a person on their computer.

Newer is Bettter

The old way of testing Internet speed was pretty straight forward. A file of a known size was transferred and as it was done the time it took to do so was recorded and it was as simple as that. There is a new way however, that is far more accurate and also far less time consuming.

Increase Your Speed

It is done through an online service. What the service does, is to send your computer a package of data that your computer then sends back to them. In this way an accurate reading of your actual Internet speed is ascertained. Why do you need to know your Internet speed? Once you know your Internet speed then you can Begin to take actions to increase it. As you do these things, then you can go back to recheck your Internet speed to gage any improvements that have, or have not taken place.

by Jamie Charlesten